In this chapter 5 “ Rhetoric, Poetics, and Poetry” one of the techniques that culler has described in the chapter that I found most interesting is the metaphor because this is one of the basic uses in language, is also treated as respectable. As culler states “A metaphor treats something as something else.” this means that we have the opportunity to describe something by comparing it with similar things which make the poem or the text more interesting. Culler said that metaphor is commonly used to provide a vivid visual image to the reader through an instance of example. This means that according to Chapter 5 Culler says that metaphor as well as one of the basic uses in language, is also treated as respectable by connecting the knowledge which readers have already known or experience. I believe that they use metaphor so that the readers can easily understand the situation of what they are reading or put themselves into the image(72). This helps shape the meaning of the poem because, in the poem “The sea is history” written by Derek Walcott, the author implies that time locks the history up because of the African people about the monuments, struggle, martyrs, and their tribal memory. This means that he wanted to know about African people’s history and cultures which are undiscovered. After all, he ends answering himself that the Sea has locked all those history, language, and cultures inside it. 

In my opinion, metaphor is important because it helps the author express his/her purpose in the text or poem. The metaphor also helps the reader to imagine what is the meaning, and the message that is behind what he/she is reading from different aspects. 

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